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Doctor Who: A Postscript from Rory

Warning: This post contains spoilers for the Doctor Who Series 7 episode The Angels Take Manhattan.

Spoilers, sweetie!

The last several episodes of Doctor Who have really played up the departure of Amy Pond and Rory Williams from Doctor Who. We’ve all known their departure was imminent, which is one of the reasons why their arguments in the episode Asylum of the Daleks (a worthwhile review by Adam Shaftoe) seemed needlessly angsty. Since that particular low point in their relationship, we’ve been introduced to Rory’s dad, Brian.

Parents of the Doctor’s companions has become a staple in the series since it’s reincarnation by Russel T Davies. Brian’s very much like Wilfrid Mott, Donna’s grandfather, in a number of ways. They’re kind souls, who understand the sense of adventure the Doctor brings.

When the Angels Take Manhattan ended, Amy and Rory were sent back to the past, where they lived out their lives in New York. It’s a bittersweet ending for them, and entirely appropriate for the way their relationship has been running over the past several episodes. The Power of Three really emphasized their dual life.

The ending of the episode included a letter from Amy to the Doctor, giving her final goodbyes, as through some sort of timey wimey mumbo jumbo, the Doctor is unable to travel back to save them in New York.

Afterword, by Amelia Williams. Hello, old friend, and here we are. You and me, on the last page. By the time you read these words, Rory and I will be long gone, so know that we lived well, and were very happy. And, above all else, know that we will love you, always. Sometimes, I do worry about you though; I think, once we’re gone, you won’t be coming back here for a long while, and you might be alone, which you should never be. Don’t be alone, Doctor.

And do one more thing for me: there’s a little girl, waiting in a garden; she’s going to wait a long while, so she is going to need a lot of hope. Go to her. Tell her a story. Tell her that, if she’s patient, the days are coming that she’ll never forget. Tell her she’ll go to sea and fight pirates, she’ll fall in love with a man who’ll wait two thousand years to keep her safe. Tell her she’ll give hope to the greatest painter who ever lived, and save a whale in outer space.

Tell her: This is the story of Amelia Pond – and this, is how it ends.

While this is quite touching, and brings Amy’s journey with the Doctor full-circle, we are now left with Rory’s relationship with his father, Brian, a man recently introduced to viewers within the past several episodes. The official episode leaves him out in the cold, presumably watering the plants forever, waiting for Rory and Amy to come home to him.

Well, it turns out that the writers hadn’t forgotten about Brian, as the BBC has recently released a scene where Rory’s fate is revealed to his father. It was never shot, so is filled out by storyboard renders.

Does this give closure for Rory’s dad? I can understand the narrative desire to focus on Amy’s story with the Doctor, but it seems rather callous to introduce a character, and then leave him in the dark about his family’s ultimate fate.

The Angels Take Manhattan first aired September 29th, 2012. It was written by Steven Moffat, and directed by Nick Hurran. The episode was produced by Marcus Wilson. Rory’s postscript was written by Chris Chibnall, who also wrote the other recent episodes with Brian Williams, including Power of Three and Dinosaurs on a Spaceship.